I have lots of plants inside and some small flys or gnats and someone posted years ago about putting something in a saucer that attracted them and they would die but I can't remember what it was. Does anyone on here know? It seems like it was vanilla or apple cider vinegar or something like that.

They could be fungus gnats. Lots of ideas to trap them. It's possible the planting medium is remaining too moist; overwatering?

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They are probably Fungus Gnats. Are you perhaps keeping the soil a bit moist/wet? Those danged gnats are usually a nuisance when the potting medium is too wet. You can read tips for alleviating these gnats in the articles below which were written by some of our ATP members: http://garden.org/search/index...

The first says to use a couple of drops of hydrogen peroxide in the water when watering plants but if the soil is already too wet you don't want it wetter. The second article is tips on alleviating a few different plant pests; scroll down to find the tip for Fungus Gnats.

I only had issues with those gnats one time, years ago when I was too lenient with my watering ... nowadays I'm just the opposite, my plants are all kept on the dry side. The only thing I use is Insecticidal Soap spray (found at Home Depot, Walmart, Garden Centers, etc.) which takes care of gnats and a lot of other pests.

Are you by any chance using Miracle Grow soil?

Thanks Greene & plantladylin for the information, that is what I was looking for. Xeramtheum, no I'm not using Miracle Grow soil, I forget what the brand name is but it is in a blue bag where Miracle Grow's bags are green.

Thanks for all your help.
Jan in Central Illinois

Some of the Miracle Grow plant mixes are notorious for having fungus gnats in it.

I don't buy Miracle Grow mix because it is so much more expensive then other brands but thanks for the info

@hostanquilts

Could also be fruit flies. (Without a picture it is impossible to know what they actually are.)

For them or gnats you can put a half inch of vinegar and some honey in a jar with a funnel placed in the jar. >99 % get in and cannot get out and die or drown. I just used this method with ~ 100 % success.

Could also be white flies.

The fly strips that unwrap from a cylinder will get gnats, fruit flies, white flies, regular flies, mosquitoes etc. I always hang a few this time of year in my kitchen and 4 in my basement grow area.

For those still hanging around on the plants, try Insecticidal soap or Neem oil.